Investment Research Associates - Page 235




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         obligation by participating in various schemes to collect                     
         kickbacks from the Five and misdirect income through Kanter's                 
         maze of entities.                                                             
              Consistent and substantial understatements of income are                 
         strong evidence of fraud.  See Marcus v. Commissioner, 70 T.C.                
         562, 577 (1978), affd. without published opinion 621 F.2d 439                 
         (5th Cir. 1980).  Moreover, a pattern of consistent                           
         underreporting of income, when accompanied by other circumstances             
         indicating an intent to conceal income justifies the inference of             
         fraud.  See Holland v. United States, 348 U.S. 121, 137 (1954).               
         Lisle omitted income received from transactions with the Five                 
         during the years 1984 and 1987 through 1989 in the total amount               
         of $1,280,547.  Additionally, for the years 1978 through 1983,                
         1984, and 1985, years not before us here, he omitted $2,734,707.              
              Lisle allowed Kanter to commingle his share of the kickback              
         moneys in the laundering mechanism Kanter created to conceal the              
         true nature of the income and the identity of the earner of the               
         income.  Lisle’s use of the various Kanter sham entities                      
         (including among others, IRA, Carlco, KWJ Corp., KWJ Co., Essex,              
         Zeus, Holding Co., Int’l Films, HELO, Administration Co., and                 
         Principal Services) made it difficult and sometimes impossible to             
         trace the cash-flow and is substantial evidence of Lisle’s intent             
         to evade tax.  See Scallen v. Commissioner, supra at 1371.                    
         Commingling by laundering is an indication of fraudulent intent.              






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